Friday, October 19, 2012

My Message to a Little Cocoa Goddess in Training

A dear friend of mine recently requested that I write a letter to my
three year old self. I laughed and then cried at the prospect of
completing such a task.What are some of
the things that I would want her to know?I had to dive deeper than “look both ways before you cross the road” and
“just say no to drugs”.I wanted to
honour what I’ve learned and offer the guidance that only my experience could
provide.This is a glimpse of what I came
up with.I hope you enjoy it.

1. Love will find you.I promise. -The “who, what, where, when and how” of it all won't be necessary
(at least not when you are dealing with the real, deep,
inspiring, fulfilling and reciprocated kind of love that you are so deserving
of.)

Don’t
try to rush what promises to be good thing.

Anticipation can be like throwing away time better spent
living.Go ahead and travel, open up
the doors to self-discovery, or simply enjoy moments with the people in your
life who are committed to loving you right back just as you are.

Forget what will be, what should be, and the “could be” contemplations
running rampant in your mind.Just
explore what is for a while and all will be revealed in due time.

2. Some days your pants won’t fit and that’s
alright - Don’t get bend out of shape about it because your true value
and worth isn’t measured by the size of your jeans or the cups of your
bra.If you really want to quantify
things, just ask yourself:

How full is your soul?

How many of your thoughts are positive?

How many times have you allowed faith and action to sustain you?

How many dreams lie dormant within you and how many steps must be taken
to awaken them?

Numbers like these embrace more of a one size fits all mentality.Be cognizant of the importance to live from
the inside out because later on it’s much more challenging to do things in
reverse.

3. Always find time to play – Life will
throw you some fast and hard curveballs. If you don’t know how to laugh and
shake things off (and duck!) from time to time, you may just fall apart.Get messy.Giggle like a school girl.Dance
for the mirror and no one else.Turn
cartwheels if you feel so inclined.There’s always time for recess (even a quick ten minute one) regardless
of what grown-ups tell you. They could probably use a recess, too.

4. You’re enough – There will be times
when you need to have a big ugly cry (that’s a guarantee) but please don’t shed a tear
for what you perceive to be your own inadequacy.I implore you!You can’t be good at everything because everyone deserves a piece of the spotlight in this show we call "Life".

You (yes, you) are
a star at so many things!

I need you to find your niche and revel in
it for a while.

Nurture your passions, grow with them and if there comes a time when it
feels right to move on, heed the call with a heart of gratitude.The world needs you, never doubt that (and
ditch the naysayers that say otherwise.)

5. Be conscious of your desires –
The birthday candles that you’ll blow out and the stars that you’ll wish on
from time to time hold a special kind of magic.That magic
is born from your sincere desire to make something happen.For example, if you pray and pray for a day
off from school, you will probably get one….because you’ve contracted the
flu.

See, wishes don’t always come to
fruition in the way that we expect them to, so be conscious of what you put out
“there” because it’s quite plausible that you will get it. Your beliefs will be the fuel that sets your
dreams on fire. Trust me.

6. Communicate, communicate and communicate
some more – Expression is your sweet spot and if you don’t share your
voice, you’ll feel choked.Later on in
life it might seem like no one understands you and you may fall victim to your
own pit of despair.To avoid listening
to ballads of angst and eating copious amounts of ice cream, please use your
words and express your emotions clearly.Doing
so will benefit you and the people trying to decode you.They’ll probably thank you for it.

7. Your heart will undoubtedly be broken. Don't worry, you'll live. – It may seem like
there’s not a Band-Aid big enough to protect all of the shattered pieces but
you’ll recover.I’m living proof.I’m sitting here sending you this letter aren’t
I?Sometimes we think that our journey
is meant to be shared with one specific person.You may feel like he just “gets” you and you can’t picture your life
with anyone else.

While I hope this
holds true for you, please know that you may have to kiss a few prince-like
characters before you find your destined prince.Each of them will have something to teach you about yourself.While you learn, don't forget to stay true to yourself, respect
your body and listen to your heart. (When in doubt, refer to #1 noted above!)

8. Forgive –

“Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to
die”

– Malachy McCourt

You may be hurt, wronged, lied to, stomped on, chewed up or spit
out.The question is where will you go
from there?Moving forward with one
light overnight bag is a lot easier than moving backwards with cinderblocks in
a knapsack.

If you choose to stay angry, you might be the only one suffering (especially if the source of
your animosity has moved on to greener pastures).

Drop the baggage and the blame.You’re better off without it.

9. Enrol in the School of Life –
Some of your greatest lessons with come from life experience.Not someone else’s per se, but yours. Oh, you’ll love to read textbooks, manuals and
stories but remember to step away from the pages and step into the world going on around you.Travel to learn more about geography.Interact with people to get a better grip on
psychology.Explore the mechanics of
your body as an interactive biology lesson or just set an example you can be
proud of in your quest for leadership.

You’re a beautiful little girl and a really big world awaits you.You won’t remember everything that you
accomplish, but always be mindful that you will leave an indelible mark on
someone’s life and memories.Try to make
it a good one.